Deborah Carr

Deborah Carr is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Boston University's College of Arts & Sciences and inaugural director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science. She holds affiliations with the Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS). Her research focuses on social factors influencing health and well-being in later life, including death/dying, family relationships, and stigma related to health conditions like obesity and disability. She leads major surveys such as the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and Midlife in the United States (MIDUS). Her work is published in over 100 articles/chapters and books including Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life and the upcoming Aging in America.

Education: PhD, MS (Sociology) from University of Wisconsin-Madison; BA (Human Relations) from Connecticut College.

Research interests include life course sociology, economic consequences of marital status, human flourishing, and end-of-life preparations. Her recent projects address retirement uncertainty, racial/gender disparities in aging, and global aging-climate change intersections.

Awards include the 2022 Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award and fellowships with the Gerontological Society of America. She serves as editor-in-chief of Journal of Health and Social Behavior (2023-2025) and chairs sections for the American Sociological Association.

Grants/leadership: Principal investigator for NLSY79; co-investigator for MIDUS; board member of the Population Association of America. Her work appears in New York Times, USA Today, and public television.

Labs/teams: Directs the Center for Innovation in Social Science, focusing on interdisciplinary social science research and policy impact.